Road Plan

The Scott administration announced plans Friday to boost Florida's commitment to road construction, which it said should help build the Wekiva Parkway and complete the beltway around Orlando. Getting work going on the Wekiva, and other roads and bridges, according to the administration, also should help the state take advantage of low construction costs. Sounds good — great — but up to a point. This point: The plan also could help build roads to nowhere, and lead to our tolls funding projects far from Central Florida.

A public information session on the proposed extension of Lee Road was designed in part to provide the city of Winter Park and UP Development with an opportunity to explain the plan and to get the public to provide them with written comments, suggestions and feedback. What the city and UP officials may not have anticipated, though, was that among the large crowd attending the workshop held on Tuesday at the Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center, many were either opposed to the Lee Road extension or had major concerns about it, and wanted their complaints to be heard, then and there.

I WILL vote against the Orange County proposal for increases in property and gasoline taxes for roads. I am tired of official mismanagement and misplaced priorities.Have our leaders just become aware of the bumper-to-bumper traffic on every major road in Orange County? Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick thinks the city needs a sports arena, which would be like buying a cart without a horse to pull it. Why add more congestion with an arena?A state lottery could solve the problem of financing road construction if the people have a say.Lonnie Reginald LamberthORLANDO

The city of Winter Park reports that sections of Park Avenue in the city will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 17 for the annual Winter Park High School parade and pep rally. The road will be impassable to motor traffic from Webster Avenue to Lyman Avenue from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Side streets at the intersections on Park Avenue also will be closed as the parade progresses. For more information, call 407-599-3399.

The high hopes of spring that Florida might begin building some roads are blasted. A regular legislative session and two special sessions have come and gone, and still no action.There is only politics - so much of it that government is paralyzed.Both the House leadership and Gov. Bob Martinez have jeopardized the state's long-term interests to promote their own ambitions. Meanwhile, precious months, perhaps years, are being squandered.Florida must have a road plan.Forget the notion that if we don't build highways growth will slow down.

Deltona -- The third in a series of four sessions about Volusia's road plan will be held today in Deltona City Hall, 2345 Providence Blvd. Volusia County's Construction Engineering Division will hold the session at 2 p.m. in the second-floor conference room. The fourth session at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Growth Management Conference Room (Room 2018) in the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand. The meetings are designed to solicit input for the county's 10-year road plan.

By John C. Van Gieson and Mike Oliver of The Sentinel Staff, May 13, 1990

Word around the Capitol is that House Democrats plan a hasty funeral for a Republican transportation plan. Republicans developed their proposal to fill the gap created by Gov. Bob Martinez when he vetoed the Democratic road plan because it increased the statewide gas tax by more than 5-cents-a-gallon.A quick demise of the Republican plan would build pressure on GOP lawmakers to override the governor's veto. Some Republicans who voted for the gas tax increase are unwilling to support the override because that would be an embarrassment to their man, Martinez.

How do you spell relief? When Alfaya Woods, the tail that wags Oviedo, went on line, developers estimated the 3,800-home development would reach build out in seven years. The first home went up about 18 months ago and the last available lot has already been sold.To the south of ''The Woods'' lies another sold-out development, to the east another 3,000-plus development ready for selling, and to the east of that another biggie in approval stage. All told, 9,400 new homes will have been built on the southeast quadrant of Oviedo within 10 years -- 10 years, that is, if the projection isn't as far off as it was for the first giant.

Transportation officials will have an open house Friday to discuss the construction on State Road 19 from U.S. Highway 441 south to County Road 561.The open house will be at the Department of Transportation office in the Dora Canal Plaza, 544 S. Duncan, from 10 a.m. until noon. The public is welcome to attend.Representatives from the DOT and the City of Tavares will be on hand to answer questions about the project, including how long construction is expected to continue.An illustration of how S.R. 19 will look upon completion will also be on display.

Senate Republicans and President Bob Crawford are quietly trying to revive a vetoed transportation plan with some version of a 4-cent gas tax increase acceptable to Gov. Bob Martinez.Martinez last month vetoed a $5.2 billion road-building plan developed by Democratic legislative leaders because it contained a statewide gas tax. The Republican governor opposes any broad-based tax increases.The vetoed plan included money for the Orlando beltway.Since then Senate Republicans, led by Transportation Committee Chairman Malcolm Beard, R-Seffner, have lobbied Crawford, D-Winter Haven, to find a road plan the governor can accept instead of trying to override Martinez's veto.

Much-nommed Broadway musical "Once" has already laid the groundwork for a national tour, with producers planning to send out a road production in summer 2013. Show, based on the 2006 Fox Searchlight pic, has attracted major heat during the legit world's spring awards season. "Once" racked up 11 Tonys noms -- the highest tally of any show this year -- and snagged multiple nods from the Outer Critics Circle, the Drama League and the Drama Desk. "Once" also just led the pack of winners at Off Broadway's Lortel Awards with three kudos, including the top trophy for musical.

A federal highway bill that likely would lead to tolls on Interstate 4 and freeways all over Florida is being denounced by environmentalists and mass-transit and bike enthusiasts. The prospect of tolls doesn't upset them, however. They contend the bill is an attempt to build nothing but car lanes across America - at the expense of bus and train riders, bicyclists and even pedestrians. The bill's main sponsor is U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, who chairs the House transportation committee.

The Scott administration announced plans Friday to boost Florida's commitment to road construction, which it said should help build the Wekiva Parkway and complete the beltway around Orlando. Getting work going on the Wekiva, and other roads and bridges, according to the administration, also should help the state take advantage of low construction costs. Sounds good — great — but up to a point. This point: The plan also could help build roads to nowhere, and lead to our tolls funding projects far from Central Florida.

GROVELAND – The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on May 12 to discuss a plan to realign about two miles of State Road 50 in Groveland to an area north of downtown. A realignment would divert much of the truck traffic traveling through the center of the south Lake County city to an area just north of S.R. 50 between Villa City and Monte Vista roads. Groveland officials hope that by taking truck traffic away from downtown Groveland, it will make it easier to lure in new shops, restaurants and residents into the city's core.

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS -- Town officials are a step closer to making a final decision on a controversial road project that could widen a scenic road along Little Lake Harris. This week, the Town Council listened to residents on both sides of the proposal to widen South Lakeshore Boulevard and East Revels Road up to 30 feet. Janice McLain, who leads Howey Neighbors for the Preservation of the Environment, said she was gratified to see about 50 local residents arguing against the project and only about five for the project.

TALLAHASSEE -- A group of local governments has sued to block a new law that critics said could force the public to pay more for roads serving new strip shopping centers, planned communities and other developments. The lawsuit, filed in Leon County Circuit Court, accuses Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders of imposing an "unfunded mandate" on local governments by forcing them to pay for transportation projects previously financed by developers. For two decades, Florida's "transportation concurrency" law has required builders to pay local governments to help offset the cost of the extra traffic they put on a community's roads.

The builders of Clark Road don't want to create another Central Florida traffic jam.But what they do want to see along the expanded road is hundreds of flourishing homes and businesses.Ocoee officials plan to keep the traffic flowing smoothly by constructing the four-lane road at one time, instead of building two lanes along the route. They know that once Clark Road is here, it will transform the east side of the city.It's little more than a red dirt road amid dead orange groves now, but Clark Road is expected to become a north-south thoroughfare lined by about 4,000 new homes and apartments - almost 80 percent of all the new homes planned in Ocoee by 1995.

Volusia County wants the state to spend $11.6 million to add lanes to State Road 44 from Interstate 4 to State Road 415 in New Smyrna Beach.The project was No. 1 in a draft of the county's priority list presented at a public hearing Tuesday.The county Metropolitan Planning Organization will vote on the list at a meeting June 24.If approved, the list will be sent to the Florida Department of Transportation, which will use the wish list in deciding which projects to add to its five-year road plan.

Road and bridge construction work is always a trying time for workers and commuters. All rejoice when a construction zone comes to completion and a bit of normalcy returns to the daily commute. In the greater Orlando area, though, the thought process fails from planning to completion. Recently, an entrance opened to give access to Interstate 4 west at Anderson Street. The folks behind the planning must have had a lapse in looking further into the future to see the effect of this project.

Despite a tight budget year, Orange County should fare well when the Florida Legislature convenes for its regular session this week, key lawmakers from Central Florida say. "I've heard this is going to be the worst [budget] situation ever," said Orange County government's chief lobbyist Mark Jeffries. "And the budget is going to drive everything." A slumping housing market and weakening overall economy is driving Florida lawmakers to make sizable cuts to the state's $70 billion budget.